According to reports, Pakistan has allowed a senior Afghan Taliban commander, Mansoor Dadullah to reunite with his family, months after he was released from the jail. Mansoor Dadullah is the brother of Taliban leader Mullah Dadullah, who was killed during an operation by Afghan and coalition security forces in southern Afghanistan in 2007.

Dadullah was arrested by Pakistani security forces in Blaochistan in February 2008. He was among the seven Taliban leaders who was released by Pakistan in September last year; however he was not allowed to meet his family.

A spokesman for Mansoor Dadullah, Baryalai Rehbar Mal, quoted by Pakistan’s The Express Tribune, said, “I can confirm that Mansoor Dadullah has now rejoined his family and friends and he also spoke to me on the phone.”

Mr. Rehbar Mal further added that Mansoor Dadullah is unlikely to take part in any activity as he is suffering from a kidney ailment.

The supporters of Mansoor Dadullah had reportedly launched separate groups – Shaheed Dadullah Mahaz and Fidaye Mahaz – that claimed responsibility for several attacks, including the assassination of a member of Afghan High Peace Council Arsala Rehmani Daulat.

Pakistan has so far released nearly 60 Afghan Taliban prisoners since November last year on Afghan government’s demand to help the peace process.

Not for the squeamish!!..... but to illustrate what horrors have been endured by both sides in Iraq.....as we sit cocooned and protected with our laptops and computers,whilst others to do our dirty work ....

A device being presented as evidence at a trial in a Pakistani court blew up after the judge asked a police officer to show how it worked. At least two people were injured, including the policeman, in the blast at an anti-terrorism court in the city of Karachi. Some reports say the device was a grenade taken from the defendant. Police later said it was just a detonator with an explosive element that should have been defused. The incident took place on Monday at the trial of a man accused of extortion and of carrying out a number of grenade attacks. Police said several devices had been found when they arrested him. The device presented in court was at the request of the defence. Judge Shakil Haider then asked how it worked. A part of the device was pulled from it and it exploded, throwing the judge off his chair. Senior police official Jamil Ahmed said that explosives around the detonator had been made harmless, but added: "We are investigating as to how the detonator was brought to the court without being defused."

Shirin Middya is a lecturer at Aliah University, a Islamic institution. The local student union wants her to wear a burqa if she wants to teach even though the university has no dress code. Syed Ali Mutjaba, a journalist and peace activist, warns about the rise of radical Islam in Indian society.

Kolkata (AsiaNews) – Islamic extremism is growing in India, this according to Syed Ali Mujtaba, an Indian journalist and founder of the South Asia Contact Group. He spoke to AsiaNews about a recent incident in which the student union at an Islamic university prevented a woman lecturer from speaking unless she wore a burqa. Shirin Middya, 24, was recently hired to teach at Aliah University, West Bengal’s first Islamic university, in Kolkata. Back in second week of April, students told her to wear a burqa; otherwise, they would not allow her to teach. News about the incident surfaced only last week. The university does not have any dress code, and wearing the burqa is not required.

Ms Middya said that she would wear the full-face garment but only of her own free will. Still, she concerned that the “students are forcing us to wear the burqa”.

Syed Ali Mutjaba, writer and peace activist, said that he is concerned about incidents of this sort. The “increasing radicalisation of Indian society is extremely worrisome,” he said.

“In India, this radicalisation is a recent phenomenon. Islam in India is centuries old and there are many varieties of Islam,” he explained. “However, in recent times, groups that promote a radical or militant Islam are trying to grab space and are influencing the youth towards their ideas and beliefs and practices that are supposed to be of a hardliner militant version of Islam. This trend is very disturbing for a multi religious society like India.”

For Ali Mutjaba, “there is an urgent need for inclusive development at two levels, one” based n the notion of “unity in diversity and inter-faith dialogue”, the other on discussions “within the Islamic community itself.”

Indeed, “we have to encourage modern and enlightened Muslims to look at things in their totality, not merely from a religious angle.”

Extremism is not however a Muslim prerogative. “Sadly, this kind of radicalisation is a growing trend in India, even among certain elements among our Hindu brethren.”

Among Muslims, certain elements are “trying to create an exclusive community, one that is different from the rest of society, [. . .] trying to carve a niche for themselves as representatives of the Muslim community.”

In reality in India, “there are so many different varieties of Islam. And the dominant ones have nothing to do with extremism. Regrettably, these [extremist] elements make it appear that either you are with us or with the enemy.”

She was addressing a discussion session titled Law and Culture: The Case of Honour Killings on the second day of Afkar-i-Taza conference. Shah said she had researched the issue during her PhD at Oxford.

“I started looking at reported cases and whether there had been any conviction. I found three possible outcomes for cases that went to court: they disappeared in court rooms; compensation was given to the family or the accused was acquitted,” Shah said.

Shah said that she had started looking at honour killing cases while working as a journalist. “I began by looking at honour killings through the popular narrative of culture, where it was legitimised through the jirga.

I found an intense competition for land and marriages between various tribes living in upper Sindh, who were originally from Balochistan. However, I want to clarify that killing someone is considered wrong and immoral in the Balochi tribes,” she said.

She said that after looking at the outcome of honour killing cases, she had started analysing the Qisas and Diyat laws. “Section 300 of the Pakistan Penal Code had not been legislated by the parliament initially. It was the Shariat Court that ruled that certain articles should be Islamised. The Qisas and Diyat law made murder in case of honour a crime against the individual, instead of a crime against the state. If the state starts acting like a jirga, then what is the difference? If we still say honour killings are part of Baloch or Sindhi tribal culture, it is not telling the entire story,” she said. She said that Qisas and Diyat laws made room for settlement. “This allows for compensation (payment) in honour killing cases,” she said.

Shah said that a bill had been presented by former senator Sughra Imam to change the laws related to honour killings. “The bill proposed to end the settlement/pardon in honour killing cases. The bill had been formulated with the support of religious parties. Another bill was tabled by Imam which proposed using DNA evidence in rape cases. This has been stalled by the government and religious parties,” she said.

“It is interesting to note that murder, a crime against the state, was made a crime against the individual during Gen Ziaul Haq’s regime. On the other hand, adultery was made a crime against the state,” she said.

A date has been set for the trial of radical preacher Anjem Choudary, who is accused of inviting support for so-called Islamic State. Mr Choudary, 49, and his co-accused, Mohammed Rahman, 32, will go on trial at the Old Bailey on 27 June. The men have already pleaded not guilty to inviting support for IS between 29 June 2014 and 6 March 2015. Mr Choudary, of Ilford, east London, and Mr Rahman, of Whitechapel, east London, are on bail with conditions. A pre-trial hearing has been provisionally set for 24 June. The case is expected to last no more than four weeks, with Richard Whittam QC prosecuting.

KARACHI/LAHORE: A prominent cleric in Pakistan termed the "Protection of Women against violence Bill 2015", passed by the Punjab Assembly on Wednesday, in contradiction to the Islamic Sharia and criticized the Sharif brothers for allegedly pushing the country towards ‘secularism’.

The bill was adopted by the provincial assembly on Wednesday, making all crimes against the women an offence including domestic violence, emotional, psychological and economic abuse, verbal abuse, stalking, abetment of an offence, and cyber crimes.

According to the new law, a toll-free number (UAN) will also be introduced to receive complaints while a district protection committee will be setup to investigate women’s complaints in this regard.

Reacting to the development, Chief of Jamia Binoria International Mufti Muhammad Naeem said in a statement that the bill was contrary to teachings of Holy Quran and Sunnah.

Terming the bill a bid to suppress men at the hands of women, he said violence against women can be controlled by giving them rights allocated for them in the Sharia.

Mufti Naeem strongly opposed the bill and expressed his concerns over it calling it a ‘tragedy’.

“Rulers under their mental slavery of the West are forgetting their social values also,” he remarked in the statement.

According to the new bill, protection officers will be liable to inform the defendant whenever a complaint is received. Offering resistance to the protection officers will be punishable by up to six months imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs500,000.

Special Centers will also be set up for reconciliation and resolution of disputes concerning women.

Violence against women has been criminalized in Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) which is a federal law. Acts of domestic violence are also an offence under various sections of PPC, and punishments for these have been prescribed in this federal law too.

A 22-year-old man has pleaded guilty midway through his trial to conspiracy to murder and preparation of terrorist acts. Tarik Hassane admitted preparing what the prosecution claim could have been a drive-by shooting by sourcing a weapon and ammunition in 2014. The prosecution has said Hassane, from west London, might have been inspired by so-called Islamic State. The Old Bailey trial will continue on Monday with three other men. They face similar charges. Hassane will be sentenced on a future date.

Plans to convert a former Methodist youth centre into a new Islamic centre in Belfast have sparked debate.

Leaders of the Belfast Islamic Centre (BIC) unveiled plans on Monday night at Wellington Park Hotel to submit a planning application for the conversion of Aldersgate House, which previously belonged to the Methodist Church.

Dr Saleem Tareen, BIC chairman, said: “As the Muslim community in Northern Ireland increases, so does our requirement for additional space. Our existing premises on Wellington Park are no longer fit for purpose and BIC has been striving to secure an alternate place for its activities and worship for some time.”

Alliance councillor Paula Bradshaw said she was “thrilled” about the plans.

“We need to ensure that Belfast continues to evolve as an open, welcoming and inclusive city,” she said.

UUP councillor Jeffrey Dudgeon was also pleased.

The plans involve public areas and community engagement which will be “especially valuable in bringing about integration”, he said.

SDLP MLA Claire Hanna agreed the proposal was “very welcome”, adding that BIC engagement with politicians is “a sign of the multi-cultural and mutually tolerant community that is south Belfast”.

But others noted Christians would not enjoy the same freedoms in the Islamic world - and expressed annoyance that a complaint from a former BIC leader recently resulted in the prosecution of Pastor James McConnell.

DUP MP Sammy Wilson said: “In our society - unlike many Moslem dominated countries - freedom of religion is a right which we dearly defend, though it is a pity that the former head of the Islamic centre did not believe that Pastor McConnell should be afforded that right.”

He said that normal planning regulations should not be relaxed for the application and that no public funds should support it.

Pastor McConnell said: “It is wonderful that you can plan to create a new Islamic centre like this in Belfast. If I was in the Islamic world I could not buy land to build a church, or worship Christ, rap a door, give out a tract or tell someone of their need of the gospel of Christ. They should take note of the liberty they enjoy here.”

Blogger David Vance added: “The plan for a larger Islamic Centre in Belfast shows that liberty and freedom for all to worship is still a central part of our western values. Sadly, in the Islamic world, Churches and Synagogues are not welcome and one hopes that Belfast’s Muslim community will recognise our enlightened ways. I would also hope that gender segregation will be clearly prohibited in this Centre as I am sure the NI Equality Commission would otherwise be deeply concerned”.

A man has been convicted of carrying out a string of sex attacks on women in south London. Mehdi Midani, of no fixed address, was found guilty of six assaults and admitted a seventh at Inner London Crown Court. He was also found guilty on one count of common assault and will be sentenced on 26 May. The women, all aged in their 20s and 30s, were attacked in Clapham and Brixton between 22 and 31 October. On one day he targeted four women within the space of hours. Det Con Tony Carr, from the Met, said Midani had caused "enormous fear and distress" to the local community. Three other men arrested during the course of the investigation were released without charge.

A man arrested at Manchester Airport on suspicion of Syria-related terrorism offences has been released on bail. The 18-year-old from Birmingham was detained by officers from West Midlands counter terrorism unit on Saturday after arriving in the UK. His arrest follows that of a man, 24, and woman aged 20 from Birmingham on 4 April who have also been bailed. West Midlands Police said the arrests were not connected to five on Friday linked to attacks in Europe.

The Afghan Taliban has launched its annual spring offensive in the strife-torn country. This year's offensive has been codenamed "Operation Omari" after the organisation's founder Mullah Mohammad Omar, whose death was announced in 2015.

The Islamist insurgent group said its offensive will be directed at American and Nato forces for the 15th consecutive year. Just hours before the formal declaration by the militant group, there were attacks in Kabul and Nangarhar province.

A statement sent out to media by the extremist group reads: "Jihad against the aggressive and usurping infidel army is a holy obligation upon our necks and our only recourse for re-establishing an Islamic system and regaining our independence."

It added: "The present operation will also employ all means at our disposal to bog the enemy down in a war of attrition that lowers the morale of the foreign invaders and their internal armed militias."

The Taliban announcement comes alongside the reconciliation efforts which are taking place between Afghan government leaders and Taliban representatives. The quadrilateral talks, which are primarily coordinated by Pakistan, involve members of the US as well.

Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour has cemented his total control over the fractious Islamist movement in order to prepare for "decisive" battles during the spring offensive. The group has promised to make 2016 bloodier than the previous year, when as many as 11,000 civilians were killed.

Days before the Taliban announcement, Mansour told his followers: "Let's prepare for decisive strikes against the enemy purely for the sake of Allah with strong determination and high spirits," according to the group's official website.

Afghan security forces are already struggling to contain Taliban attacks in the wake of foreign troops' withdrawal from Afghanistan. It is estimated the Afghan government controls only 70% of its territory while the rest of the area is in the hands of extremist forces.

Married father-of-one Asif Iqbal started staring at the girl who was with a friend at the premises in Hagley Road, Quinton.

When she asked to use the toilet he directed her to the staff lavatory and waited outside, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.

The 29-year-old then asked for her phone number and, when that was refused, wrapped his arms around her waist and touched her before she managed to push him away.

Miss Samantha Powis, prosecuting, explained: “He had spent a considerable amount of time looking at the girl before isolating her. She was backed into a toilet by the defendant who then grabbed her.”

The distressed girl was too embarrassed to report the March 24, 2014, incident but finally confided what had happened to her friend who told the mother of the victim and police were called.

It then transpired that two days later Iqbal started stalking two 15-year-olds whom he bombarded with sexually explicit messages and images after contacting the pair through Facebook.

He continued to pester them despite the girls making it clear they wanted nothing to do with him. He managed to get hold of their mobile phone numbers and included unsettling details of their personal life in messages.

Analysis of his phone later revealed he had contacted the pair over 70 times during the campaign of harassment that continued for two months until his arrest on May 25, 2014.

Mr Simon Hanns, defending, said that Iqbal had no previous convictions and added: “He now admits that he is attracted to young girls.”

The defendant, from Vicarage Street, Langley, pleaded guilty to sexual assault and two cases of stalking and was sent to prison by Judge Kristina Montgomery QC who told him: “You ought to know that girls of this age are not to be treated as sexualised adults and that somebody who wants nothing to do with you ought to have that choice accepted.”

He was made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order banning him from any contact with people under 16 and preventing him working in an environment where he could come into contact with them.

Going by the Sharia law that says "eye for an eye", a 28-year-old man in Iran will have his eye gouged out for blinding a man with a metal rod in a street fight. The man claims he did not deliberately blind the victim and that it was only an accident.

The Iranian Supreme Court ordered the sentence against the man, identified as Saman, Oslo-based NGO Iran Human Rights said in a news release citing the Persian-language publication Shahrvand, which is published from Canada. However, it is not clear when the sentence will be carried out. Iran has so far not released any official statement on the case.

"The blinding punishment is part of a retribution sentence issued by the Supreme Court to Saman for allegedly blinding another man during a street fight," the NGO wrote.

Saman was reportedly 23 when he got into a scuffle with Jalal, who was then 25. The scuffle resulted in the latter losing his sight. According to the newspaper report, Saman repeatedly claimed during interrogations that he accidentally blinded Jalal during the brawl.

The accused was reportedly sentenced to the eye-gouging punishment by a court on 1 August 2015, according to a previous report in the Daily Mail.

In March 2015, a similar sentence was ordered in Iran. A man convicted of throwing acid on another man, blinding him and disfiguring him for life, was ordered to be punished with the removal of his eye. The acid attack took place in the city of Qom in 2010.

LONDON: Minor Muslim girls in the UK as young as 11 are being forced to marry men living abroad via the internet notwithstanding a ban on forced marriage in the country.

Imams in the UK and abroad have been conducting ceremonies using Skype -- so girls can be married remotely before "being put on a plane and consummating the marriage at the earliest opportunity", according to Freedom, a charity.

The marriage is often conducted with the promise of a visa to the UK for their new husband, it said.

"The reason is to curb the behaviour of their children when they become 'too western'," charity founder Aneeta Prem was quoted as saying by 'The Sunday Times'.

"Once married, there is enormous pressure to get a spouse visa. The hope is the girl will visit (country of husband's origin) and fall pregnant to make the union seem more legitimate before bringing the partner back," she said.

In one case, an 11-year-old home-educated girl from London was married on Skype to a 25-year-old man in Bangladesh.

She contacted Freedom in November after reading a book about forced marriage that her older brother was given at school.

"She hadn't understood at the time but later realised the Skype call was a marriage ceremony. The plan was for her to meet her 'husband' at a later date and hopefully fall pregnant.

In the meantime, she was at home learning to cook and clean," said Prem, the author of 'But It's Not Fair' - an account of forced marriage.

"We see cases from many communities including those from Hindu, Sikh, Jewish, and Mormon backgrounds. No religion accepts forced marriage but some parents are using it as a method of control," she added.

Forced marriage was made illegal in England, Wales and Scotland in 2014 but there has been only one conviction and it did not involve a child.

Karma Nirvana, a charity that runs free workshops to raise awareness of forced marriage, said in a two-month period at the end of last year it had received 38 referrals from 14 schools, including 11 from one school in Birmingham made the day after it gave a presentation.

The UK Department of Education said: "We trust teachers to know what their pupils will benefit from most, rather than prescribing a one-size-fits-all approach".

Police trying to prevent terrorists from obtaining guns warn a rise in parcels being sent to Britain due to online shopping is helping criminals to camouflage firearms being smuggled into the country.

Dave Thompson, chief constable of West Midlands police and the national lead for countering firearms, said there had been a surge in the number of guns circulating in the UK.

In a Guardian interview, he said firearms were being reactivated overseas and then ordered for delivery into the UK. “Traditionally you’d have seen maybe six or seven years ago we’d be stopping people at Dover with 10 Baikals [a make of firearm] concealed in compartments in the car. That’s become less of a feature. What’s become more of a feature is weapons through the fast parcel system, individual items coming through.”

Dave Thompson, chief constable of West Midlands police. Photograph: Handout Thompson said guns and ammunition were still hard to acquire in the UK, and after the Paris attacks police had intensified their focus on stopping weapons being available for sale. But firearms are coming in from the US and Europe, with Germany causing special concerns, as well as Balkan countries.

Once the weapons are smuggled into Britain, it is feared, they could fall into terrorist hands. “We can’t safeguard ourselves by relying on criminals who might have access to firearms to have benign intent,” Thompson said.

He said criminals were trying a range of tactics to avoid detection. “We have to watch a trend of disassembling the weapons and sending them in component parts.”

Thompson also said he was concerned that officers could be outgunned during an armed terrorist attack, and the atrocity in Paris last November by marauding gunmen was a “game-changer” for counter-terrorism chiefs.

The stories you need to read, in one handy email Read more If Britain was attacked, army special forces may be on the scene too late, so the government must fund more police firearms officers who would be the first to face armed terrorists, he said.

Thompson said the Paris attacks, in which Islamic State-inspired gunmen killed 130 people, meant police needed a “significant” increase in firepower. His force, like others, had already put more armed officers on the streets and would train more, but he said extra money would be needed to reach the level he believes is needed.

“While we do plenty of firearms operations, we deal with people who there is not much debate we are going to win the encounter with, because we’re better trained, we’re better capable, they generally don’t fire back at us,” he said.

In a Paris-style attack, with heavily armed teams of trained terrorist gunmen shooting diners and revellers, Thompson said: “These scenarios, we are dealing with situations where you are not guaranteed winning in the encounter early on and I need to give the firearms officers the best chance to win.”

The ringleader of the Paris attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, visited Birmingham and London months before spearheading the carnage in the French capital. Found on his phone were pictures taken during his visit to fellow jihadis. There has been no official comment on what is thought to have been the reason for the visit.

Thompson would only say counter-terrorism officials were alert to the dangers of “hostile reconnaissance” by terrorists before an attack, and that a large amount of inquiries were ongoing after Paris by his force, involving international partners.

The West Midlands chief constable accepted the area was second only to London for the number of terror plots linked to it. In counter-terrorism circles there is a quip about Belmarsh, where a number of convicted terrorists serve their sentences: “The most common accent in Belmarsh is Brummie.”

The rise of Isis, which Thompson referred to as Daesh, had led to a very high “intensity and determination” of terrorist threat, he said.

Thompson said there were differences between how al-Qaida had tried to attract British recruits and Isis’s approach. Key to this was Isis’s declaration of a hardline, pan-national Islamist state.

“There is something around the concept of Daesh, the concept of a caliphate that is drawing people to that. And I think there is a greater sophistication in the approach taken to radicalise people through more digital means, and I think that has driven a different face of the challenge we’ve faced over the last few years.”

Thompson leads policing in an area with one of the highest concentrations of Muslims in Britain. He said his force, serving an area where 30% of people come from ethnic minorities, struggled to treat all fairly. “I don’t think we are a fair organisation on race still,” he said.

More generally, he said people were more law-abiding now but more questioning of authority. For the police this meant officers had to re-earn trust and legitimacy, day in day out, by how they conducted themselves and how they served the public.

He said he had told his officers to “befriend” those in need and wanted to modernise his force as crime moved from the public sphere, such as the streets, to the private sphere, in the home and via the internet.

Thompson voiced concerns at government plans to expand the definition of extremism to include those who do not espouse violence but are nevertheless deemed to fall foul of “British values”. A number of senior officers at several forces have indicated they are worried about the plans.

Thompson said it was right for government to consider the issue but said police had not asked for the measures. He said: “What I do not want to be in the position is where communities feel marginalised and pushed into a corner and the relationship with Muslim communities is defined by extremism. Because I won’t let that happen for policing. It’s really important we don’t let that happen around policy in general.”

The father of a 16 year old girl pleads with an Austrian Governor and Police to protect his daughter in a powerful letter that describes the everyday fear young women have of migrants.

“My daughter is 16 and is afraid when she needs to use the Linz train station in the evening, we have now had to form a carpool with other parents,” writes the father whose name is Franz according to the paper. According to Kronen Zeitung the man sent a letter to the Governor of the Austrian province of Upper Austria explaining the extreme fear his daughter has of the train station because of the migrant men who hang out there every day.

“Our daughter is learning to be a hairdresser in Linz. She must regularly go through the station in the evening. She told us that she’s scared because on her way many young foreign lads are there,” Franz wrote in his letter. After the Cologne attacks on New Year’s Eve some train stations are reported to have become a den for migrants who routinely sexually assault young girls.

The letter continues: “My wife and I took a look at what is happening on the ground, went to Linz and the same way as our daughter and we have to say that she has not exaggerated, it was unfortunately worse than imagined,” adding, “even though we were there for three quarters of an hour, we heard no police and saw no police presence. I’ve asked around, supposedly there are not enough officers. After 8pm only five police officers were there. In a country like Austria, it is not acceptable, that our children have to be in fear on the way to work and back home.”

Kronen Zeitung investigated the security of the station and also found it to be incredibly lax. Though there are police and security, there are clearly not enough since the various groups of migrant men continue their behaviour with little or no consequences. It is primarily North African migrants like the ones in Cologne and in Stockholm that are said to be the ones carrying out the harassment and sexual assaults that happen daily.

Even the next door parking garage has become a drug dealing location with migrant drug dealers not caring about security cameras that were recently installed.

OBB, the Austrian state owned railway gave a statement saying: “Especially on the late night trains there are always passengers that ask our security to accompany them on the platform because they are so afraid.”

So far there has been no direct reply from the Governor of Upper Austria, Josef Pühringer, who belongs to the conservative Austria Peoples Party (OVP). The governor has previously taken a hard line against north African migrants, telling Austria’s ORF that he wants to see the Federal Government start immediate talks with North African countries to deport troublemakers as soon as possible.

However, the European Human Rights court may block such actions even if such migrants have links to the Islamic State, as Breitbart London reported was the case in Ireland last month.

NOTE: What follows is the first significant translation of the newly-released book, ‘Palestine’ by Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khameini. The page numbers below refer to the original PDF in Farsi (available here). This page will be updated as more of the book is available in translation. As Jonathan Tobin writes at Commentary: The Khamenei Palestine book is important not in and of itself but because the regime’s obsession with Israel is a key to its foreign policy. Iran constitutes a grave threat to Neighboring Arab countries that are at least as angry about the president’s embrace of Tehran as the Israelis since their nuclear status would undermine their security. But as much as Iran is focused on regional hegemony in which Sunni states would be brought to heel, as Khamenei’s Palestine illustrates, it is the fixation on Israel and Zionism that really animates their expansionism and aid for terror groups. As Taheri notes in his article on the book, Khamenei distinguishes his idée fixe about destroying Israel from European anti-Semitism. Rather, he insists, that his policy derives from “well established Islamic principles.” Chief among them is the idea that any land that was once ruled by Muslims cannot be conceded to non-believers no matter who lives there now. While the Muslim world seems to understand that they’re not getting Spain back, the territory that constitutes the state of Israel is something else. Its central location in the middle of the Muslim and Arab worlds and the fact that Jews, a despised minority people, now rule it makes its existence particularly objectionable to Islamists like Khamenei. Khameini: ‘Palestine’ (2015) Introduction by Dr. Ali Akbar Velayati The role of Shia Ulama [Islamic leaders] in the complicated issue of Palestine has steadily moved toward reaching its goal. The issue of Palestine has had many extensive, large-scale reflections all around the world. The way Shia Ulamas, [scholars] including Motaharri, dealt with the issue of Palestine was to rely on Allah internally and on Muslims externally, which enabled them to fight against the oppressors with all their might. Having this in mind, it is worth it to know how this class of Muslim scholars approached the issue of Palestine and Zionism. Mohammd Hasan Ibn Mohammad Ibrahim Gilani, one of these scholars, who in his own time had experienced an issue of occupation, as the Israeli-Palestine issue, emphasizes Jihad as a mandatory Islamic duty on Muslims’ shoulders. He states, “If the people of darkness and blasphemy attack Muslims’ lands and try to establish a non-Islamic political system in that land, jihad becomes a compulsory religious duty for all Muslims who are able to use a weapon. Sheikh Mohammad Reza Hamedani, who lived in 19th century, in his book, Trqib Ul Musliemin Ela Difa Ul Moshrekin [Encouraging Muslims to resist non-Muslims] expressly writes, “ The purpose of jihad is to preserve the seed of Islam and granting Islam prosperity and superiority. Until reaching that goal, the duty of jihad is compulsory.” By studying the contemporary history of Shia movements, we see how this class of Muslim scholars, even in difficult situations when the foundation of Islamic society was under attack from everywhere, led Muslims in waging jihad. They meticulously analyzed the situation and recognized the colonists’ long-term plan. In various circumstances, these scholars created obstacles in the way of the colonists and prevented them from reaching their ultimate goal. For example, in Iraq, the British Army tried to subjugate Iraqis, suppress their uprisings, and divert Iraqis’ attention from revolting against them. They created an atmosphere of fear among Iraqis, not knowing that the Iraqi Shia Ulama [Muslim religious leaders] would disappoint them. An Iraqi Muslim scholar who lived during World War I recorded his observations of Najaf Shia uprising and its causes. He wrote, Some people believe that only because of Islam and Islamic honor the crusaders could not dominate Najaf and rule over this city, which is the center of religion and the apple of the eye of Shia Muslims. Islamic honor prevented the crusaders from placing the flag of trinity over monotheism. Islamic sources and faith enabled the Ulama to fulfill their Islamic duty regarding the issue of Palestine. Examining the movement that Shia religious leaders initiated and comparing it with their current day position toward the issue of Palestine proves that Shia Ulamas are among the most persistent and non-compromising Islamic leaders who have shown resistance to the danger of Zionism. In response to a question from Mohammad Sabri Abedin, Agha Mohammad Hossain aul Kashif al-Quta, who was the highest-ranking Muslim scholar in Najaf, wrote, “The worst type of oppression is forgetting about Islamic duties and disrespecting the Quran by disobeying its commands.” Regarding selling Palestine land to Jews and its Islamic ruling about these types of transactions, Kashif al Quta states, “Don’t you even realize that selling land to the Jews in general and being involved in the transaction as agents or the like is tantamount to fighting against Allah and his prophet and destroying the religion of Islam? Those who participate in such transaction are out of the religion and consequently infidels. Do not do business with those who are involved in such transactions. Do not marry them. When they die, do not let them to be buried in Muslims’ cemeteries. You should make a list of apostates, mention their names in there, and publicize it.” [Note: Being recognized apostate allows Muslim to kill the person, make his wives and children slave, and appropriate his property.] The Ulama’s objection to the two-state Solution in the United Nations was the first formal confrontation between the Islamic scholars [Ulama] and the West, which highlighted the role of Iraqi scholars in resisting against the West. Shia leaders like, Hebbat Ul Din Shahrestani, Sayyed Mehdi Sadr, Sayyed Mohammad Mehdi Isfahani, Sheikh Razi Aul Yassin, Yusuf Ata, Habib al Ubaidi, and Ibrahim Ravi, sent a telegraph to both the United Nations and the United Kingdom Department of State, expressing, Hereby, we the delegates of Islamic legal schools announce our dissatisfaction to the two-state solution, which is aiming to strike at the heart of Arabs and Muslims. Ayatollah Sayyed Abul Hasan Isfahani, another high-ranking Muslim scholar, wrote a note to the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad asking Iranians to double their efforts in the United Nations for Palestinian rights. Accordingly, Kashi al-Quta wrote a letter to Malik Ghazi, the king of Iraq, encouraging him to adopt the same tactic in the United Nations and support Palestinians. He warned the king and the British officials that the only choice they have is to issue a fatwa for Jihad. Al-Nahar, a Baghdad newspaper, reported that [in the 1950s] Muslim scholars gathered around Imam Ali’s Shrine in Najaf and discussed the possibility of issuing the fatwa of jihad. Ulama from Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Yemen, Turkey, Afghanistan, and Arab Gulf countries were invited and Kashif al Quta issued the fatwa for jihad. The issued fatwa stated, O, Muslims, Arabs, brothers, and human beings! A situation in which the beheaded Palestine is trapped, is obvious. As I have said before, the issue of Palestine is not just an Arab-Muslim issue. Every human being has to wage jihad. Hereby I send a public invitation to Arabs and Muslims. Allah is my witness that if I were not old and sick, I would be the first person to make jihad against Israel. In another fatwa, Kashif al Quta, classified the Islamic world and assigned each one of them to perform their duty of jihad regarding Palestine. The first country he addressed was Jordan. He believed, since the Hashemite family runs Jordan and they are decedents of the prophet, they are the ones who need to initiate jihad. After Jordan, he addressed Hijaz [Saudi Arabia]. He said, “Since Islam shone in that land, Saudis also should be a part of the jihad.” Kashif al Quta also assigned Syria and Egypt for the reason that they are Palestine’s neighbor. In the 1960s, Imam Khomeini started his transparent and relentless movement, which played a pivotal role in the realm of politics and the establishment of a new wave called “Islamic Awakening.” Islamic awakening in Iran and in the Islamic world aimed to first topple the Pahlavi regime and replace it with an Islamic republic system and second, to wage Jihad in the region against Zionism in an effort to emancipate Palestine. Globally, the movement is going to confront the United States as the symbol of injustice. In one sentence, Imam Khomeini’s purpose of struggle is to emancipate Iran and the Islamic world from the superpowers’ bondage, restore honor to Islam, and establish an Islamic government based on Islamic principles. With persistence and honesty, Imam Khomeini raised the flag of the emancipation of Quds and Palestine. The chain of resistance against Zionists is currently more evolved. Today, the resistance line starts from Iran and covers Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Gaza, West Bank, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Sudan, Yemen, Bahrain, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. This new wave of Islamic awakening, which was initiated by Imam Khomeini, is now stronger than ever. Cutting the hand of the United States from Islamic countries, establishing Islamic government and restoring Islamic values, and emancipating the whole of Palestine are our objectives. Dr. Ali Akbar Velayati [Biographical Note on Ali Akbar Velayati: Velayati was born in Rostamabad village in Shemiran, Tehran, on 24 June 1945. He was admitted to Tehran University of medical sciences in 1964. Velayati finished his studies in pediatrics and moved to Johns Hopkins University for a fellowship in infectious diseases. Velayati taught at a university and was an active member of the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution, Expediency Council and Islamic Encyclopedia Foundation. During the rule of Mohammad Reza Shah, Velayati was arrested by the intelligence service when he was only seventeen. After the Islamic Revolution, and under Mousavi, the former Iranian prime minister, Velayati served as the minister of foreign affairs. After Hashemi Rafsanjani became the president of Iran, he retained his position until 1997. Since then he has been an advisor on international affairs to the Supreme Leader of Iran. In November 2006, Argentine Judge Rodolfo Canicoba Corra issued an international arrest warrants for Velayati and six other Iranians and one Lebanese in connection with the AMIA terror attack in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which killed 85 people and seriously injured151. The attack on the Jewish Cultural Center came two years after the 1992 terrorist bombing of the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires. Velayati has been on the official Wanted list of Interpol since March 2007 charged with “Aggravated Murder and Damages” related to the 1994 AMIA bombing case. The arrest warrant is based on the allegation that senior Iranian officials planned the attack in an August 1993 meeting, including Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, Mohammad Hejazi, Khamanei’s intelligence and security advisor, Rafsanjani, then president, Ali Fallahian, then intelligence minister, and Velayati, then foreign minister.] Quds Day: The Day of Breaking the Back of Oppressive Americans and its Zionists Servants [p.40] In 1960s, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini started his transparent and relentless movement, which played a pivotal role in the realm of politics and the establishment of a new wave called, “the Islamic Awakening.” The Islamic Awakening in Iran and in the Islamic world aimed to first topple the Pahlavi regime and replace it with an Islamic Republic system and, second, to wage Jihad in the region against Zionism in an effort to emancipate Palestine. Globally, the movement is going to confront the United States as the symbol of injustice. In one sentence, Imam Khomeini’s purpose of struggle is to emancipate Iran and the Islamic world from the superpowers’ bondage; to restore the honor to Islam; and to establish an Islamic government based on Islamic principles. With persistence and honesty, Imam Khomeini raised the flag of the emancipation of Quds [Jerusalem] and Palestine. The chain of resistance against Zionists is currently more evolved. Today, the resistance line starts from Iran and covers Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Gaza, West Bank, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Sudan, Yemen, Bahrein, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. This new wave of Islamic Awakening, which was initiated by Imam Khomeini, is now stronger than ever. Cutting the hand of the United States from Islamic countries, establishing Islamic governments and restoring Islamic values, and emancipating the whole Palestine are our objectives. For us, [the liberation of Jerusalem] Quds and Palestine are very significant and splendid issues. Today [Quds Day] is when all the oppressed people armed with the spirit of faith and reliance on Allah would break the back of all unjust superpowers, the Imperialism of the United States and its Zionist servants. We should not be satisfied with what we have [the Islamic Revolution] within our borders; we should not think we are done. Until this stinky wound and infected gland called “the Israeli Government” is in the heart of Islamic territories, we cannot feel we have won. From the beginning of the Islamic Revolution in Iran to the present time, Palestine remains a burning issue for the Muslims of the world. The centrality of Palestine for the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Muslim world is undeniable. Even before to the Islamic Revolution, Palestine, the Palestinian people, and the injustice they were experiencing were important issues for Imam Khomeini and the movement he led. We cannot observe and tolerate the existence and presence of the enemy who has occupied the land. Palestine is the most important issue of the Islamic world. Palestine is the most important issue of the world of Islam. There is not any other international issue in the world of Islam more important than the issue of Palestine. The reason is that the domination of the occupiers of Palestine and Quds is the source other weaknesses and problems in the Islamic world. One might ask about the future of Palestine and Quds. Let me educate you and give you some information: As we broke down and destroyed the robust, undefeatable gates of the imperialist regime of the Shah, we can defeat the legendary power of the superpowers. Allah’s Promise: Defeating Bani Israel [the Jewish People] Again [p.41] We should learn from the Quran in which Allah addresses Israel saying: “O children of Israel! Indeed, you would do mischief in land twice and you will become tyrants and extremely arrogant.” [Surah Al-Isra’ 17:4-8] Allah’s soldiers will come to punish you for the corruption you did on Earth. Any nation that walks on the path of Allah—with the weapon of truth and justice—Allah will help him. But any nation that makes mischief, oppresses the people, and ignores humanity will be destroyed and perished. An Infected Cancer Called “Israel,” Cause of Division Among Muslims [p.42] Imperialists, the enemy of human beings, planted this infected cancer gland within Islamic-Arabic territory. Today this gland has grown and become the cause of division among Muslim governments. You see how the leaders of Islamic countries who call themselves Muslims do not perform their Islamic duty about the issue of Palestine. Why? Because they have been busied with internal problems. Where their problems have come from? From this infected gland named “Israel” that was created by the superpowers. Defeating Israel by Muslims is Pivotal for Muslims’ Salvation is the World [p.43] Today, Palestinians have risen up. The Quran in Surah 17:7 has addressed Palestinians saying, “If you do good. You have done this to yourself.” If you do jihad in the cause of Allah, if you obey Allah’s command and fight against the enemy of humanity and the religion of truth, O Palestinian Muslims, you have done a good thing that benefits you. When we create a glorious Islamic power in the region, this power can punch superpowers in the mouth. Then, the Muslim nations will never suffer from hunger, poverty, and oppression. Supporting Palestinians is an Islamic Duty [p.44] We, the revolutionary Muslim people of Iran—after successfully getting the attention of the entire world by punching the American imperialists in the mouth—should take another big step: We should teach Arab nations how to fight for Palestine and Palestinians rights sacrificially. As I said before, the issue of Palestine is an Islamic humanitarian issue. It is humanitarian because group of anti-human criminals, who know nothing but hegemony and trespassing, have gathered to plot against other nations and governments. Today, they help our enemies, some of whom share borders with us. Palestine is also an Islamic issue for us: Islam has obligated us to defend other Muslims and their lands; it has obligated us to fight for the rights of oppressed peoples; it has obligated us to answer to our Muslim brothers and sisters call for help with our property and lives. Muslim Governments Ignore Palestine [p.45] Palestinians have been calling for help from other Muslims for decades. Which one of these Arab governments has answered the call for help from their Palestinian Muslim brothers? They just used the issue of Palestine for their political advertisements, just to attract their people for political purposes. I address North African and Middle Eastern governments. I address the Gulf States. Which one of you all has done the Islamic duty of helping your Palestinian brothers? The Possibility of Annihilation of Israel through Nations’ Determination and Resolve [p.46] Take the issue of Quds and Palestine seriously. Bayt Ul Moqaddas was Muslims’ first Qibla [the direction that should be faced when a Muslim prays]. This [holy place] is under the control of antihuman Zionist occupiers, and needs to be emancipated. The land of Palestine has to be freed and returned to its own people. They might ask, “How would you wipe a country, which is under the protection of the superpowers, off the map?” A resolve that comes from faith eases any difficulty; it makes every miracle possible. Islamic Revolution: A Role Model for all Islamic Revolutions [p.47] The Islamic Revolution of Iran would become the mother of all other Islamic revolutions throughout the region. After your triumphant Revolution, the passion for Islamic values is boiling in the region. Today, many movements based on Islamic ideology are seeking freedom. This fire continues to give off flames. You should continue. You should know that those you inspire, other Revolutions, would come to your help whenever you need them. That the Islamic Revolution continues to live disappoints the United States, and has done so thusfar. Today we face two factors to deal with. One problem is the Imperialism of the United States and its agent and proxy in the region, the Occupier Government of Israel—on which we should put pressure, and seek its destruction. This government is the expression and visualization [the agent and proxy] of the American hegemony. Another factor is the issue of inviting oppressed Arab nations to rise up against their oppressors. Like Pebbles and Buckets of Water [p.48] Today—on behalf of you the people of Tehran who have gathered here in the Day of Quds [Jerusalem Day]—I tell the other nations to learn from our experience. Look at the miracle Allah has done through the Iranian people, and encourage others to move [in this direction]. As our Imam and leader mentioned, there are more than one billion Muslims around the world. This is a huge and marvelous power. If every one of us through a pebble toward Israel, this nation would be buried under a pile of pebbles. O Muslim nations, [Quds Day] belongs to you as well. We should get ready and arm ourselves with military weapons and equipment. Improve the quality of your weapons. We have the issue of Palestine, the concern of the Imperialism of the United States, and plots and conspiracies. As Imam Khomeini said, “If Muslims were united and each one had poured a bucket of water on Israel, a flood would have taken Israel away. ” The Importance of Palestine [p.51] [ From a speech given at Imam Khomeini’s Shrine, May 21- 2002. Palestine is the most important Issue in the Islamic World. No other international issue is more important than Palestine in the World of Islam. The reason is that the occupation of Palestine and Quds, which are parts of the body of Islam, is the source of all the weaknesses and problems in the Islamic World. This painful wound on the body of Islamic society is annoying the heart of the Prophet. The heart and soul of the Prophet in paradise is full of sadness. What is the solution, then? Jihad is the answer. See how the oppressive countries without any sympathy toward the Islamic nations are smashing [the Palestinians] underfoot. Palestine is, and will continue to be, the most important issue of the Islamic nations. This is not a joke; some occupiers have come to remove others from their homes and country and replace them with those whose hands are soaked to their elbows in blood. Palestine is the worst misery the Islamic nation has ever experienced. Those who claim the importance of human rights should be on the vanguard of this struggle and lead others. Besides Palestine, Beit Ul Moqadas [Jerusalem] is also important. Today, Zionists wage a spectrum of plots and conspiracies aimed at the destruction of this Holy City. But Muslims never allow Zionists to carry out their plots: this city belongs to all Muslims, and is the capital of Palestine. They will resist. Palestine is an issue for the Islamic world for two reasons: One reason is that Palestine is a part of Islamic territory. All Islamic schools of thoughts agree over this. All Muslim scholars have consensus over this claim that Palestine is a part of Islamic land that has been occupied by our enemies. Everybody is religiously obligated to wage jihad to return this part of Islamic land back. Another reason is that the establishment of this Jewish government, in other words, Zionist government, in this region was to fulfill the first stage of a bigger plan. Palestine links three continents of Asia, Africa, and Europe. The United Kingdom created this mess to prevent the emergence of another Islamic power like Ottoman Empire. Even though the Americans pushed the British away and inherited its colonialism. Therefore, the liberation of Palestine and destruction of the occupier Zionist regime is an issue that has close relationship with the security and existence of Iran and all other countries in the region. Those Muslim intellectuals who have not become puppets in the hands of the oppressive United States believe that we should fight against Israel and resist American’s hegemony. The Islamic Republic and the Issue of Palestine [p.63] Adapted from a seminar given to a group of Palestinian Jihad groups (February 27, 201); a a speech before a group of Ardabili Youth (July 26, 2000); and an address to a group of pilgrims in Mashhad (March 21, 2011). Palestine is not a strategic but a belief issue. It is about a heart connection. It is a religious issue. For these reasons, there is an agreement between Iranian people and us over the issue of Palestine. The majority of our people care about Palestine and this motivates millions of them to come out for demonstration in the Quds Day regardless of the climate condition. The view, perspective, and analysis of our decisionmaking officials toward Palestine is religious not political, per se. We are asked why we support the people of Bahrein. We support all oppressed who rise up against their oppressors. We have been supporting Palestinians for decades. Which Islamic country has done such thing? Are the Palestinians Shia? No. How many times have our youth rushed to airports to fly to Gaza to fight against Israel? They did it many times. But we stopped them. We told them the roads to Gaza are blocked. Our people care about Palestine regardless of sectarian differences. We care about Egypt and Tunisia as well. Are they Shia? No. Enemies try to misinform others that our support of oppressed people is a sectarian issue. Supporting Oppressed Nations, Especially Palestine, is a Part of the Islamic System’s General Policies [p.64] Announcement of the Five Year-Period General Policy by the Supreme Leader (January 10, 2009). Improving the place, situation, power, and role of the Islamic Republic of Iran at the regional and international level in order to bolster our national security and national interest, and also supporting Muslims and oppressed nations, especially the nation of Palestine, are important parts of our general policies. Without Destroying Israel, Our Victory is Incomplete [p.65] A message to the pilgrims on Hajj (June 3, 1989). We do not follow the dictated solutions offered by the superpowers regarding the Palestine issue. The only accepted treatment for the wound of Palestine is to cut and remove the cancer gland of the Zionist government, and this is possible. In the process of pilgrimage, Muslims should chant concerted slogans in support of Palestinians. Iranian people should always take side with Palestinian fighters. Without winning the battle of Palestine, our victory is incomplete. Since the first days of his mission and struggle in Iran, our deceased great Imam [Khomeini] gave the first priority to the issue of Palestine. He continued the same mission even after he defeated the Shah and established the Islamic Republic. In his political and spiritual will, Imam Khomeini talked about Palestine to Muslims all around the world and highlighted the religious obligation facet of it. Universality of Imam Khomeini’s Movement [p.67] Tehran Friday Prayer at Imam Khomeini’s Shrine (June 3, 2010). Another facet of the Imam’s movement was its universality. Imam [Khomeini] believed that his mission is universal. It belongs to the Muslims around the globe; even oppressed non-Muslims could use it. Imam did not pay any attention to the critics, who said his statements were, “interfering in other independent countries’ affairs.” Our method of exporting our revolution is different from the colonialists’ method. We do not use colonialism. We are not such people. Our method is to spread the scent of this merciful phenomenon to the world. Therefore, other nations come to recognize their responsibilities. Muslim nations should know their identity, to learn how to find it. One example of this universal view was the Imam’s position regarding Palestine. He directly said, “Israel is a cancer gland.” What do people do with a cancer gland? Aside from cutting and removing it, what other treatments are available? This was his rationale, and he did not care about the criticism. This is not a slogan; it is logic. The Iranian Revolution Created Hope for Palestinians [p.67] Tehran Friday Prayer (February 12, 2004). This [Iranian] Revolution in the Islamic and Arabic worlds revived hopes. Before we successfully toppled the Shah’s regime, the Islamic world was in a hopeless, passive situation. The Zionists had successfully intimidated the Muslim Nations. No nation could even imagine a feeling of hope. Suddenly, the gates of hope opened and nations woke up. Zionists wrongfully thought that they have swallowed Palestine and everything is in control. You see how the Palestinians are resisting, even under tremendous pressure. This resistance is not only a defeat for Israelites, but also for Americans. All the Zionist superpowers that control the world are defeated, as a poor, unarmed nation has brought them all to their knees. The spirit of hope also awakened in the Lebanese. In the aftermath of the revolution, Lebanon was a mess. Zionists did whatever they wished to that country. They attacked and killed people. Their warplanes were flying over Lebanon whenever they wanted, as if it was their own territory. Instead of focusing on the [Israeli] enemy, Lebanese groups were fighting against one another. Shaheed Chamran was there at that time. He was reporting whatever he was observing. He reported, “Now, Lebanese are going to become a power. They are striking Zionists unprecedentedly. The Zionists are retreating.” Our Position [Against Israel & the United States] [p.68] Speech to the Iranian Military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (June 30, 1991). Our position against Israel is, as always: Israel is a malignant cancer gland that needs to be uprooted. In contrast to what shallow people believe, it is not impossible to defeat Israel and the United States. Superpowers have come and gone throughout history. Materialistic powers are neither everlasting nor infinite. Yesterday, there was a power called the Soviet Union. It was one of the superpowers, but it no longer exists. A similar historical contemporary change is still before us.

A PSNI team spent a minimum of 163 hours on the Pastor James McConnell case, figures obtained by the News Letter reveal.

The police investigation led to the prosecution of the elderly evangelical leader on two charges, both centring on the allegedly “grossly offensive” nature of an anti-Islamic sermon he had given.

Since his acquittal on January 5, the News Letter has attempted to tot up the total cost to the public purse in bringing the case.

It had previously been disclosed that the cost which the failed three-day magistrates’ court trial had placed upon the Courts Service and the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) was equivalent to a minimum of £8,491.

Now the PSNI has revealed that “a total of 163 duty time hours worked by the Crime Support Team (one constable, one sergeant) in relation to the Pastor James McConnell case”.

It said that the estimated cost of this equates to £4,485.

When added to the existing estimates concerning PPS spending and the use of court facilities, it means the official estimate of the cost of the case has now climbed to £12,976.

The 163 hours of police time amounts to almost exactly a full week’s work, covering 24 hours for seven solid days.

David McIlveen, DUP member of the Policing Board and the son of traditionalist clergyman Rev David McIlveen, said: “Of course it is a matter of concern about how much PSNI time was wasted on this case, however to be fair to them they had an obligation to investigate a complaint that was made.

“What I believe should be of more concern to us is that we seem to live in a society were a Christian preacher makes sincerely held views, and finds himself the victim of a spurious complaint that is grossly exagerrated by the usual politically correct media hysteria that many of us have now come to expect.”

The MLA for North Antrim said the blame lies principally with those who took offence at the sermon and sought a police probe in the first place, and with the public body which plumped for prosecution.

He added: “This complaint against Pastor McConnell should never have been taken in the first place, the waste of police time and subsequesnt cost in my view rests with those who misread and mishandled this case, namely the complainants and the PPS.”

However, even now the figures do not tell the whole story.

As previously reported, whilst the Courts Service had estimated that the use of court facilities and staff time amounted to £4,473, the PPS had said that it could only give a figure for how much the outside help it had hired for the case had cost.

This sum – £4,018 – did not take into account how much time had been spent on the case by the PPS’ own in-house employees.

And the PSNI said that other police staff beside the two identified may have worked on the case but that this was not recorded, and that the £4,485 total which they had provided “does not include additional costs i.e. officers checking notebooks, overtime claims/hours etc”.

The police added: “Therefore the estimated 163 time hours would materially understate the real PSNI costs incurred in respect of the Pastor McConnell case.”

The figures were obtained by the News Letter thanks to a request made under the Freedom of Information Act.

The UK government last year signalled its intention to reduce access to information via the act, even though departments often rebuff requests for information under the law, or flout the existing rules by failing to answer requests on time.

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